Few hurdles for Canada smugglers to get choppers

In this July 16, 2009 photo, a helicopter is washed at Chinook Helicopters, a flight school and charter service, in Abbotsford, BC. Smugglers of drugs across the border between Canada and the U.S. can receive flight training and helicopters with remarkable ease as they grab a share of Canada's sprawling, multibillion-dollar drug trade. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
— AP

In this July 16, 2009 photo, a helicopter is washed at Chinook Helicopters, a flight school and charter service, in Abbotsford, BC. Smugglers of drugs across the border between Canada and the U.S. can receive flight training and helicopters with remarkable ease as they grab a share of Canada's sprawling, multibillion-dollar drug trade. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
/ AP

Mike O'Reilly, Eagle's president, did not return repeated calls from the AP.

"Sure, I have a past, but those charges were a decade ago," Martin said. "If you have the money and you want to get into a helicopter business, you can – doesn't matter who that individual is."

On Feb. 23, the day of his arrest, Lindsay-Brown climbed into the Jet Ranger at Martin's shop and flew it to a snowy clearing outside Ione, Wash. He was to drop off 426 pounds of marijuana and pick up 83 kilos of cocaine, authorities said.

But the driver he was meeting, Len Ferris, had been arrested in Utah with the cocaine. For more than a day, Ferris did not return Blackberry messages from Sean Doak, a recently paroled drug trafficker who was his contact on the Canadian side of the border, Martin said he later learned from Adam Serrano, another man arrested in the case.

That was a clear sign of trouble, but Doak never told Lindsay-Brown about it, and Lindsay-Brown had no clue he was flying into a setup, Martin said.

U.S. agents greeted him with guns drawn.

Martin reported the helicopter stolen. The DEA said it didn't believe him and returned the machine to Eagle Copters.

The following week, another pilot flew down to meet Ferris – with predictable results. This time, it was Jeremy Snow, who recently had done flight training at Okanagan Mountain Helicopters in Kelowna. He was arrested as he landed in Idaho, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Seattle and is expected to face four years in prison.